EXCLUSIVE: Brian May - Why my cancer scare made me determined to fight for the badgers

Rock star Brian May has described how a cancer scare earlier this year has made him more determined to "make a difference for the better".

Brian May, pictured at the vaccination initiative launch today, had a cancer scare in January [LNP]

Speaking as he launched a badger vaccination funding appeal to try and bring about an end to culling, Mr May said that the uncertainty over his health had made him even more committed to campaigning for animal rights.

The Queen guitarist had to have a biopsy for prostate cancer in January, but was later told that no cancer cells had been found.

He said: "It does have an effect. You start to look at your own mortality. It's an odd thing.

"I didn't react that emotionally to it. There's a numbness which takes over when people talk about cancer, and suddenly your future looks uncertain.

"The fact that I got the all-clear made me feel that I've got a reason for being here, to make some more mischief before I shuffle off.

"I would love to be able to change things and make a difference for the better. That's the reason why I got involved in the badger vaccination campaign. I would love to see the culling stopped."

Mr May said that the government was starting to show signs of support for badger vaccination [LNP]

The fact that I got the all-clear made me feel that I've got a reason for being here, to make some more mischief before I shuffle off

Brian May

Mr May, 66, is raising awareness of the Badger and Cattle Vaccination Initiative (BACVI), which is fundraising for badger vaccination schemes starting this year in Dorset, Somerset, Gloucester, Devon and Cornwall.

The initiative, which was launched today at Portcullis House in London, is hoping to raise £1m to carry out a four-year study on the effectiveness of badger vaccination at reducing bovine TB.

Mr May and other sponsors, including cosmetics company Lush and the International Fund for Animal Welfare, have already pledged £200,000 to the project.

Rock bank Hawkwind have also donated to the cause, and 300,000 people have signed Mr May's petition to Downing Street demanding a halt to the culling - making it the biggest animal welfare petition in the UK.

According to charity Care for the Wild, the pilot culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire cost more than £7m - equivalent to more than £4,000 per badger killed - and BACVI says the cost of policing the cull was higher than the cost of a vaccination project.

The bill for security came in at £2.4 million in the first year of the four-year pilot - or £1,300 per badger killed.

BAVCI figures show that vaccination costs around £120 per badger.

Mr May is among those being trained to trap and vaccinate the animals.

BACVI is also lobbying for the vaccination of cattle against TB, which is banned under EU law.

Campaigners warn that despite the failure of the pilots to meet even reduced kill targets, ministers are set to press ahead with wider culls.

The guitarist and animal rights activist is vice-president of the RSPCA [MATT CARDY]

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Professor Rosie Woodruff, speaking at the launch today, said that data from the badger cull trials showed that reactive, randomised culling appeared to actually increase the number of cases of cattle infected with TB.

She said that this is because stable family units are broken up, with the result that diseased badgers are more likely to flee their territory and come into contact with other badgers and cattle - an issue which is avoided with vaccination.

Mr May, who has a PhD in astrophysics, said that his scientific background coupled with his ethical beliefs attracted him to the campaign.

He said: "The truth is culling has never been that effective, but vaccination will lead to herd immunity in badgers, which really takes them out of the equation.

"I don't believe in randomly killing any species. This is symptomatic of a larger problem, which is the way that we value animals on this planet.

"The badgers are a part of it - just because they don't mean money for anyone doesn't mean that they are not worthy of a decent life.

"It's emotive on both sides, but animal welfare is not to do with emotion, we're talking about a decent moral approach.

"I'm also involved in the science behind it, and unfortunately very few people understand it.

"Some politicians are not very well equipped to understand it, and they must appreciate the difference between theory and evidence.

"You have very good scientists at Defra who are being asked to find statistics to back up policies, when policies should be informed by impartial science.

"You would be very hard pushed to find scientists in favour of culling, and these pilot culls have confirmed everyone's worries that they would not work.

"Vaccination against disease has worked for humans, so anyone who says that it won't work for badgers is on very shaky ground."

Mr May said: "The truth is culling has never been that effective" [LNP]

Mr May also said that he believed the government, which is paying for 10 per cent of the vaccines for the Cornish arm of the project, is starting to show support for the initiative, despite Environment Secretary Owen Paterson's commitment to culling.

He said: "A large number of our supporters are in the Commons and the Conservative Party, and I think there is a movement towards people thinking for themselves, and becoming more and more suspicious of Owen Paterson."

Asked if he believed the government could perform a U-turn on culling, he said: "I'm very much hoping that they will. Owen Paterson has nailed his colours to the mast, which is a shame, because the culling is obviously failing, and it's getting more embarrassing for him.

"But the government are supporting our initiative in a small way by supplying some of the vaccines, which is great news."

TV vet Marc Abraham, who is also supporting the campaign, said: "Vaccination makes much more sense than killing badgers in every way.

"Culling is ineffective, and a complete waste of life, money and time."